What Southwest Heart is All About
An Extraordinary Rescue Partnership
When disaster strikes, it’s easy to feel powerless. You don’t even know where to start. But sometimes, a single bold request can ignite a movement of hope. For Lucky Dog Animal Rescue, that idea came in 2017 as a devastating hurricane bore down on Puerto Rico. After experiencing the devastation of two hurricanes that year, Lucky Dog was stretched extremely thin. But then, a simple hail mary email turned into a partnership that has saved hundreds of lives, delivered thousands of pounds of critical supplies, and proved that when people and organizations come together, the impossible becomes possible.
This is the story of how a small nonprofit teamed up with a major airline to make miracles happen—not once, not twice, but three times.
A Hail Mary That Changed Everything: The Puerto Rico Mission
In 2017, as Hurricane Maria was bearing down on Puerto Rico, Lucky Dog asked Southwest Airlines if they would donate a flight to help evacuate animals in the path of the storm. What seemed like a Hail Mary pass in the last down of the last quarter of a losing game turned into one of the most amazing rescue relationships of all time.
Over the course of three months, Southwest partnered with Lucky Dog to fly thousands of pounds of supplies to our partners in Puerto Rico, providing them with everything from toiletries to food to pet supplies when it was near impossible to get any supplies to the island. And then, on January 20, 2018, Southwest flew us to San Juan with 14,400 pounds of supplies for our partners, returning 64 Lucky Dogs and Cats ready to find their forever homes.
At the time, I thought that was - and would be - the most incredible experience of my life. After all, how many times does a major airline donate a plane and pilot to a small nonprofit? Turns out the answer is 3.
When Wildfires Raged: The Maui Connection
When the Maui Wildfires struck in 2023, another email from Lucky Dog to a new Southwest CEO produced another flight. This time, we flew to Maui with supplies for pets and people impacted by the fires and returned with 110 dogs and cats going to rescue partners in the Pacific Northwest. That flight was a little bit different for us - we didn't have animals we were evacuating to our adoption program - but it was no less important. Lucky Dog's relationship with Southwest Airlines helped thousands of people and hundreds of pets in need by working with Greater Good Charities and the Maui Humane Society. At the time, I remember thinking how incredible it was to take the trip of a lifetime not once, but twice.
Hurricanes Helene and Milton: Rising to the Challenge Again
And then came Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Once again, Southwest teamed up with Lucky Dog to save animals in need. With the support of Greater Good Charities, Lucky Dog was able to bring more than 145 dogs and cats to our rescue campus in South Carolina, prepare them for transport, and then fly them from Myrtle Beach to receiving rescues in Wisconsin on a Southwest 737.
These dogs and cats were brought in from devastated areas of Florida as well as eastern Tennessee. All of the animals on the flight were in the shelters before the storm, and moving them out was absolutely essential so that impacted shelters had the capacity to care for the displaced and injured animals that were flooding through their doors. So that they could provide resources to families struggling to keep their 2-legged and 4-legged members together. So that they could be the safety net their communities needed.
Beyond Rescue: Expanding Relief and Hope
We didn't just create space in their shelters. We were also able to send food and supplies into impacted areas, serving as a central distribution point for organizations in need. If anyone had told me 10 years ago that Lucky Dog would go on to partner with Southwest Airlines on three charter flights for pets—where the pets rode in the cabin of the plane—as a response to three significant natural disasters, I would have told them they were dreaming.
Dreams Made Possible: What Lucky Dog Stands For
If anyone had suggested 10 years ago that we'd be operating a rescue campus that would become a hub during a major natural disaster, I would have told them they must be talking about a different rescue, a different organization. But dreams are what we are made of at Lucky Dog. Hope is our beacon.
Mirah Horowitz
CEO and Founder
Lucky Dog Animal Rescue